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Pandemic flu related news from the BMJ Group

Deaths from swine flu in UK rise, while cases fall (Monday 16 November 2009)
WHO recommends early antiviral treatment for at risk groups with suspected swine flu (Monday 16 November 2009): People in groups at high risk of complications—such as pregnant women, children under 2 years old, and people with underlying medical conditions—and who are suspected of having swine flu should be treated promptly with antiviral drugs, the World Health Organization said on 12 November.
Reassure pregnant women over swine flu vaccine, health officials urge (Monday 09 November 2009): England’s Department of Health has urged GPs to reassure pregnant women who are worried about being vaccinated against swine flu.
News: Number of swine flu patients going into intensive care is rising (Monday 02 November 2009): The proportion of patients in hospital with swine flu who have been admitted to intensive care continues to rise in England, said the chief medical officer, Liam Donaldson, last week.
Cases of swine flu in England almost double in a week (Monday 26 October 2009): The number of patients with swine flu who required intensive care rose to its highest level so far in the epidemic last week, with 99 patients being admitted compared with 63 at the end of July.
News: H1N1 vaccination begins as proportion of cases in hospital admitted to intensive care rises (Monday 19 October 2009): The swine flu vaccination programme will begin on Wednesday 21 October, when the first vaccines are distributed to acute trusts for use in "very high risk" patients and healthcare professionals, the chief medical officer Liam Donaldson has announced.
News: H1N1 pandemic flu found to cause viral pneumonia in severe cases, says WHO (Monday 19 October 2009): The World Health Organization expressed heightened concern following the presentation of new evidence on clinical aspects of the H1N1 pandemic by experts from heavily affected countries ...
News: WHO will start delivering H1N1 vaccine to 100 poorer nations in November (Wednesday 14 October 2009): About 100 low and middle income nations will start receiving the first deliveries of H1N1 flu vaccines donated by drug companies and governments as early as November, World Health Organization officials announced on 12 October.
News: People with asthma are most at risk of complications from swine flu, study shows (Tuesday 06 October 2009): The government has released further information on the underlying conditions that can cause swine flu to become more dangerous, showing that asthma is the most common comorbidity found in those who are admitted to hospital.
News: European agency approves swine flu vaccines for licensing (Tuesday 29 September 2009): Two swine flu vaccines, including one of those to be used in the United Kingdom’s vaccination programme, were approved for licensing by the European Medicines Agency on 25 September.
News: UN seeks $1.5bn and donations of vaccines to help poor nations fight swine flu (Tuesday 29 September 2009): United Nations health officials have called for rich nations to pledge more money and donate vaccines against H1N1 flu to help developing countries fight the pandemic.
News: Children are likely to need two doses of swine flu vaccine (Friday 25 September 2009): Children are likely to need two doses of H1N1 influenza vaccine to achieve a full immune response, while most adults will need just one, the director of immunisation at the Department of Health has said
News: Chief medical officer warns that swine flu may be on the rise again (Friday 18 September 2009): The incidence of swine flu has risen in the past week in England, the first weekly increase in incidence since late July. Liam Donaldson, England’s chief medical officer, said that although the increase is slight, it may be "the start of an upturn."
News: Swine flu vaccine is a "thousandfold" safer than the infection, say experts (Wednesday 16 September 2009): Experts this week played down the risk of adverse effects from the forthcoming swine flu vaccine, saying that even in the worse case scenario people would be a "thousandfold better off" having the jab than the disease.
News: GPs are to be paid £5.25 a shot for swine flu vaccination (Tuesday 15 September 2009): GPs in England are to be paid £5.25 (5.90; $8.70) for every dose of swine flu vaccine they administer, once it is licensed, under a deal agreed between the BMA and the Department of Health.
News: Mental health charities object to contingency plans for flu epidemic (Monday 14 September 2009): Mental health charities in the United Kingdom reacted with concern this week in response to government plans to relax mental health safeguards in the event of a worsening flu pandemic.
News: Course of flu epidemic is hard to predict, says UK government adviser (Monday 14 September 2009): The second wave of swine flu is expected at the beginning of October at the earliest, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser has said.
News: China gears up for swine flu vaccination as virus spreads inland (Monday 14 September 2009): As China rolls out the first phase of its programme to vaccinate 65 million of its 1.3 billion people against A/H1N1 swine flu, the Ministry of Health has confirmed that the disease is spreading inland and into rural areas and may infect tens of millions of Chinese people in the coming months.
Australia’s swine flu vaccination plans come under fire (Tuesday 08 September 2009): The Australian government’s impending programme of vaccination against H1N1 flu has been criticised by some professional groups that have raised concerns about potential risks.
Opposition to swine flu vaccine seems to be growing worldwide (Tuesday 01 September 2009): As governments gear up to launch national vaccination programmes against swine flu, questions are beginning to emerge about how many people will be prepared to take up the offer of the vaccine.
Incidence of swine flu in England continues to fall, but winter surge is predicted (Monday 24 August 2009): The number of new cases of A/H1N1 influenza reported in England continues to fall, but the government forecasts a sharp rise in cases during the winter months.
Officials watch events in southern hemisphere as swine flu rates in UK slow down (Friday 07 August 2009)
Swine flu incidence in England is slowing down (Monday 03 August 2009): The signs are that the weekly number of new infections of A/H1N1 flu is beginning to level off, the Department of Health for England has said.
Doctors call for guidance on how to prioritise critically ill patients in swine flu pandemic (Thursday 30 July 2009): "Extraordinary pressure" is expected on critical care beds this autumn, as the A/H1N1 influenza pandemic is set to enter a severe phase. However, the Department of Health has yet to clarify how it plans to meet demand, according to a House of Lords report this week.
Swine flu website inundated as cases in England double in a week (Friday 24 July 2009): The Department of Health for England said that the number of cases of influenza A/H1N1 has almost doubled, increasing to 100 000, from about 55 000 a week ago.
EU prepares new guidelines for monitoring swine flu (Friday 24 July 2009): The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is planning to issue new surveillance advice to national health authorities on the A/H1N1 influenza pandemic.
A/H1N1 influenza update (Thursday 23 July 2009): As the English government launches a dedicated telephone service and website that will prescribe antivirals to take the pressure off of GPs, Adrian O’Dowd reports on the latest information on swine flu
Government tries to end confusion over swine flu advice to pregnant women (Wednesday 22 July 2009): The government has issued new guidance to try to end the confusion over advice to pregnant women on how to avoid the A/H1N1 virus.
Only 12% of Germans say they will have H1N1 vaccine after row blows up over safety of adjuvants (Monday 20 July 2009)
England to launch special flu service next week to take pressure off primary care (Monday 20 July 2009): The Department of Health for England has brought forward by three months its plans for a national pandemic flu service to relieve pressure on GPs and other NHS service providers as the number of cases of influenzaA/H1N1 and consultations continue to rise rapidly. The service, which will launch towards the end of the week, means that people will be able to get a prescription for antiviral drugs through a special telephone and internet service rather than by visiting or telephoning their GP.
Data on flu deaths are potentially misleading, say researchers (Wednesday 15 July 2009): The only thing that can definitely be said about the A/H1N1 flu outbreak is that the virus is not becoming more virulent, said epidemiologists this week.
Healthcare workers should get top priority for vaccination against A/H1N1 flu, WHO says (Wednesday 15 July 2009): The World Health Organization said on Monday 13 July that healthcare workers in all countries should be vaccinated against the A/H1N1 flu virus "as a first priority." They should be followed by high risk groups such as people with chronic conditions and pregnant women.
GPs will lead UK’s swine flu vaccination campaign (Wednesday 15 July 2009): The government is planning a large scale but non-compulsory campaign of vaccination against the A/H1N1 virus.
Patients and doctors are asked to report antivirals’ side effects as swine flu spreads (Monday 13 July 2009): The number of people in the United Kingdom confirmed as having died after contracting the A/H1N1 virus rose to seven this week after the deaths of three more people, including two children, were announced. All were said to have had serious underlying health problems.
Cases of A/H1N1 flu are nearing epidemic levels in London and West Midlands, say GPs (Monday 13 July 2009): London and the West Midlands are approaching epidemic consultation rates for A/H1N1 influenza, figures from the Royal College of General Practitioners show. Epidemic activity can be defined as 200 consultations with patients with influenza-like illness per 100 000 people per week.
WHO to call on nations with high rates of swine flu to move away from testing all suspected cases (Thursday 09 July 2009): The World Health Organization said on Tuesday (7 July) that with the A/H1N1 influenza pandemic evolving rapidly, it plans to issue new guidelines for nations with large infection rates, advising them to move away from conducting laboratory testing on all suspected cases and to focus instead on monitoring big trends in the spread of disease.
UK government predicts 100 000 new A/H1N1 flu cases a day by September (Friday 03 July 2009): The UK government is planning for a rapid rise in the number of cases of A/H1N1 flu and is limiting provision of antiviral drugs to people with symptoms, while excluding asymptomatic contacts of infected people. The move comes after the revelation that up to 100 000 new cases of the infection could emerge each day by the end of August.
Two more people in UK die from swine flu, as swabbing policy ends in “hot spot” areas (Wednesday 01 July 2009): Two more people have died in the United Kingdom after contracting the A/H1N1 virus, while some GPs in so called hot spot areas are now handling the virus in a different way from how they did at the start of the epidemic.
Use of Tamiflu may need to be rethought as number of swine flu cases in the UK nears 3000 (Friday 26 June 2009): The United Kingdom may need to rethink its strategy on use of the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) to treat swine flu, a BMA official has said, as the UK’s number of cases is rising faster than in most of the rest of the world.
Australia plans to restrict antiretrovirals to high risk cases as swine flu spreads (Tuesday 16 June 2009): Health authorities in Australia are bracing for a fraught winter, as the novel H1N1 influenza A virus spreads alongside seasonal flu.
World Health Organization declares A (H1N1) influenza pandemic (Friday 12 June 2009): The head of the World Health Organization has declared the first influenza pandemic in 41 years after intense consultations with top officials from countries that are experiencing rapid transmission of the novel A (H1N1) flu virus at the community level, and with international experts monitoring the global outbreak.
UK scientific adviser criticises UK planning for flu pandemic (Tuesday 09 June 2009): The government’s chief scientific adviser is not convinced that the United Kingdom has the right plans in place to cope with avian flu.
Countries hit by swine flu reach 62 (Wednesday 03 June 2009): Countries hit by swine flu reach 62: The number of countries affected by the A/H1N1 flu virus has risen to 62, according to the World Health Organization. Globally, as the BMJ went to press, there were 17 459 confirmed cases of the virus in 62 countries, including 115 deaths. The UK figure has risen to 278.
Number of confirmed swine flu cases could be “tip of iceberg” (Tuesday 26 May 2009): Almost 13 000 people around the world have now been confirmed as having been infected with the A/H1N1 flu virus, but experts in the United States are warning that the actual figures there could be much higher.
UK urges more flexibility in criteria for flu pandemic alerts (Thursday 21 May 2009): Greater flexibility and additional information are needed when deciding whether to declare a flu pandemic, a delegation of countries have told the World Health Organization.
Mexico City returns to normality, but cases of A/H1N1 reach almost 2000 in US (Monday 11 May 2009): Mexico City’s 20 million residents emerged last week from a five day economic shutdown that the authorities had ordered to try to contain the A/H1N1 flu epidemic. Offices and restaurants have reopened, and high school and university students have gone back to class.
Chief medical officer warns against complacency over swine flu (Friday 08 May 2009): The health secretary, Alan Johnson, and the chief medical officer for England, Liam Donaldson, have told the public not to become complacent about A/H1N1 flu and have warned that the hallmarks of a pandemic are still present.
Global aid agencies boost support to poorer nations to fight flu threat (Wednesday 06 May 2009): International agencies, spearheaded by the World Health Organization, are scaling up their support to low and middle income nations, including Mexico, to help them respond to the possible threat of an A/H1N1 flu pandemic.
European flu toll reaches 107 confirmed cases (Tuesday 05 May 2009): By the morning of Tuesday 5 May, when the BMJ went to press, 107 confirmed and 10 probable cases of A/H1N1 flu had been reported in the European Union, said the Stockholm based European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
Mass information campaign starts in UK as flu cases rise to 28 (Tuesday 05 May 2009): A mass public information campaign starts in the United Kingdom this week as leaflets on how to stop the spread of swine flu begin to arrive in every home.
News: Confirmation of first person to person transmission of swine flu in UK expected soon (Friday 01 May 2009): The first human to human transmission of swine influenza in the United Kingdom is expected to be confirmed today, as the number of confirmed cases has risen to eight.
News: US Congress holds hearings on outbreak of influenza A (H1N1) (Friday 01 May 2009): Questions on the threat posed by the outbreak of influenza A (H1N1) remained unanswered after three days of congressional hearings in Washington, DC. But the meetings dampened down media frenzy through the constant repetition of the limited facts that were known.
News:EU commissioner says pandemic likely, but may not be deadly (Friday 01 May 2009): European Union governments will increase cooperation among themselves in the fight against the novel flu virus but have not committed themselves to sharing their stockpiles of vaccines and antiflu drugs.
News: WHO raises flu pandemic alert to level 5 (Thursday 30 April 2009): The World Health Organization has raised its flu pandemic alert level to five, the second highest level, saying it thinks that a global outbreak of swine influenza is imminent.
News: Health department starts to stockpile masks for clinicians to combat swine flu (Wednesday 29 April 2009): The Department of Health is planning to stockpile huge numbers of extra facemasks for clinicians to use in preparation for a possible pandemic of swine influenza.
News: Swine flu could come back in more virulent form after summer (Wednesday 29 April 2009): The number of deaths in Mexico from swine influenza may be only "the tip of the iceberg" and, after a mild summer, the virus could return in a more virulent form, experts at the Stockholm based European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said this week.

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